Kerberos
06-13-2007, 06:06 AM
He doesn’t speak often, at least not for the local media. Larry Johnson guards his public utterances.http://www.kcchiefs.com/media/images/3FBDD461E97F4904AB58E269D28D13AA.JPG?0.5168775021620892The media does not like that; they want to decide when a player talks, especially a star like L.J. That’s why they don’t like Johnson, because he won’t play ball with them under their rules.
Instead, Johnson speaks when he wants. They don’t like what he says most of the time, which is OK with LJ because he doesn’t care what they think anyway. But it aggravates the media, especially those in the business who believe they are the arbitrators of all that is good and bad in the world of sports.
That’s why comments, whether they are written or spoken about Johnson, are usually so negative.How does this effect Johnson’s standings with the fans? Not at all, and that’s what ticks off the media the most.
When the Chiefs held their open mini-camp practice session inside Arrowhead Stadium, no player spent more time signing autographs than Johnson. He was the last player off the field, just as he was the year before. He all but walked some fans to their cars.
All this is a precursor to what figures to be a difficult time for the media. That would be the contract situation between the Chiefs and Johnson. In the fifth-year of his rookie deal, Johnson can void the final two seasons and become a free agent after the 2007 season.
Talks have already begun between the Chiefs and Johnson’s agent on a contract extensionGenerally the media likes to take sides in these situations, but they will have a hard time in this one because they don’t like Johnson or Carl Peterson.
They are already predicting a nasty holdout and a major distraction for the team. They are planting seeds that the deal is already causing ripples in the Chiefs locker room.So, is all this a distraction for Johnson? He hasn’t spoken about it before.“It’s not much of a distraction right now,” Johnson said. “It will be a distraction when it gets down to the wire. I know how this organization works and everything is going to be taken real slow, at their own pace. Hopefully it will work out for the better.“You can’t let it get to you.
You want the contract to be done on your time, and that’s when you get frustrated and a lot of things get out of whack.
You just need to step back from the situation and let it develop on its own, and see where it comes out at the end. I’m prepared to do that. I am doing that.”Does he have a timetable for completion of this new deal?“Not really, but I would like to get it done sooner than later,” he said. “I don’t have a wife and kids, but it’s definitely something you want to set up for the future for your family.”Some parts of the media say Johnson is a problem in the Chiefs locker room, that his teammates do not like him, that he’s a divisive figure. Of course, these media types never name names when the say his teammates don’t care for him.
No sources, nothing tangible, just rumor mongering. They are predicting this contract situation will create a greater divide between No. 27 and the other players on the roster.How does Johnson react to this type of thing?http://www.kcchiefs.com/media/images/5F11807E04DE43E89AF30B6CDF55A2A8.JPG?0.4221220339745618”I blow it off,” said Johnson. “The guys I play with are grown men and if they really had a problem with me, trust me, they would have come over to me and said ‘you are doing this, you are doing that wrong, or why do you do this?’ Nobody has said anything to me.“I’ve never see myself as being a problem in the locker room.
There have been times at half-time in the locker room where I have stood up and said, ‘Hey, this is what we need to do more of.’ But I’ve never called out any player in the media or in the locker room, to make somebody feel embarrassed.“They need to understand where I’m coming from. I want to win and not so much win for me, but win for guys that have been here a long time.
Last year I wanted to win for guys like Will Shields and Trent Green. When you get in the middle of the game and you get heated, you want to go out and win not so much for yourself, but for the team and put a smile on everybody’s face. That’s always been my focus.”As Johnson opens his fifth season with the team, he’s seventh on the roster in team seniority. Only Tony Gonzalez, Greg Wesley, Jason Dunn, Casey Wiegmann, Brian Waters and Eddie Kennison have been with the team longer.
Does that force L.J. into taking a more vocal leadership role with this young group of teammates?“I feel like I have to lead by example,” said Johnson. “That’s what I like to do. You can get an older guy up there and have him talk all day about what he did or didn’t do, but what it comes down with those young guys, seeing is believing.
If they don’t see you doing it on the field, they are not going to follow you. I would rather have guys feed off my energy and what I do on the field. I will say something every now and then, but I won’t be making any Al Pacino speeches. I’m going to make them follow me by what I do on the field.”His goal for 2007 is simple, direct and has nothing to do with yards, carries or touchdowns.“I want to win a Super Bowl,” said Johnson. “I’ve never played in a big, big game in my whole career.
I had one big game and that’s when I played 115-pound Pop Warner football and we won the championship. At that time, it didn’t feel like a championship because I was just into having fun. I didn’t realize it was a championship game and what that meant.“I really want to get to the Super Bowl and be in that atmosphere.”Coming on Friday: Coordinator Mike Solari and his second season calling the plays for the Chiefs offense.
Instead, Johnson speaks when he wants. They don’t like what he says most of the time, which is OK with LJ because he doesn’t care what they think anyway. But it aggravates the media, especially those in the business who believe they are the arbitrators of all that is good and bad in the world of sports.
That’s why comments, whether they are written or spoken about Johnson, are usually so negative.How does this effect Johnson’s standings with the fans? Not at all, and that’s what ticks off the media the most.
When the Chiefs held their open mini-camp practice session inside Arrowhead Stadium, no player spent more time signing autographs than Johnson. He was the last player off the field, just as he was the year before. He all but walked some fans to their cars.
All this is a precursor to what figures to be a difficult time for the media. That would be the contract situation between the Chiefs and Johnson. In the fifth-year of his rookie deal, Johnson can void the final two seasons and become a free agent after the 2007 season.
Talks have already begun between the Chiefs and Johnson’s agent on a contract extensionGenerally the media likes to take sides in these situations, but they will have a hard time in this one because they don’t like Johnson or Carl Peterson.
They are already predicting a nasty holdout and a major distraction for the team. They are planting seeds that the deal is already causing ripples in the Chiefs locker room.So, is all this a distraction for Johnson? He hasn’t spoken about it before.“It’s not much of a distraction right now,” Johnson said. “It will be a distraction when it gets down to the wire. I know how this organization works and everything is going to be taken real slow, at their own pace. Hopefully it will work out for the better.“You can’t let it get to you.
You want the contract to be done on your time, and that’s when you get frustrated and a lot of things get out of whack.
You just need to step back from the situation and let it develop on its own, and see where it comes out at the end. I’m prepared to do that. I am doing that.”Does he have a timetable for completion of this new deal?“Not really, but I would like to get it done sooner than later,” he said. “I don’t have a wife and kids, but it’s definitely something you want to set up for the future for your family.”Some parts of the media say Johnson is a problem in the Chiefs locker room, that his teammates do not like him, that he’s a divisive figure. Of course, these media types never name names when the say his teammates don’t care for him.
No sources, nothing tangible, just rumor mongering. They are predicting this contract situation will create a greater divide between No. 27 and the other players on the roster.How does Johnson react to this type of thing?http://www.kcchiefs.com/media/images/5F11807E04DE43E89AF30B6CDF55A2A8.JPG?0.4221220339745618”I blow it off,” said Johnson. “The guys I play with are grown men and if they really had a problem with me, trust me, they would have come over to me and said ‘you are doing this, you are doing that wrong, or why do you do this?’ Nobody has said anything to me.“I’ve never see myself as being a problem in the locker room.
There have been times at half-time in the locker room where I have stood up and said, ‘Hey, this is what we need to do more of.’ But I’ve never called out any player in the media or in the locker room, to make somebody feel embarrassed.“They need to understand where I’m coming from. I want to win and not so much win for me, but win for guys that have been here a long time.
Last year I wanted to win for guys like Will Shields and Trent Green. When you get in the middle of the game and you get heated, you want to go out and win not so much for yourself, but for the team and put a smile on everybody’s face. That’s always been my focus.”As Johnson opens his fifth season with the team, he’s seventh on the roster in team seniority. Only Tony Gonzalez, Greg Wesley, Jason Dunn, Casey Wiegmann, Brian Waters and Eddie Kennison have been with the team longer.
Does that force L.J. into taking a more vocal leadership role with this young group of teammates?“I feel like I have to lead by example,” said Johnson. “That’s what I like to do. You can get an older guy up there and have him talk all day about what he did or didn’t do, but what it comes down with those young guys, seeing is believing.
If they don’t see you doing it on the field, they are not going to follow you. I would rather have guys feed off my energy and what I do on the field. I will say something every now and then, but I won’t be making any Al Pacino speeches. I’m going to make them follow me by what I do on the field.”His goal for 2007 is simple, direct and has nothing to do with yards, carries or touchdowns.“I want to win a Super Bowl,” said Johnson. “I’ve never played in a big, big game in my whole career.
I had one big game and that’s when I played 115-pound Pop Warner football and we won the championship. At that time, it didn’t feel like a championship because I was just into having fun. I didn’t realize it was a championship game and what that meant.“I really want to get to the Super Bowl and be in that atmosphere.”Coming on Friday: Coordinator Mike Solari and his second season calling the plays for the Chiefs offense.